The Best CPU Cooler for i5 8600k in 2020

1. Noctua NH-D15 – Best i5 8600k CPU Cooler

The Noctua NH-D15 is one of the best dual-tower CPU coolers that you can buy right now and it replaces the NH-D14, which was the king of its time. High-quality fans are included in the box and you can have them both installed with each tower. You can even add a third fan for even better cooling.

The cooler features 6 heat pipes that are soldered onto a flat shiny surface. The fin stacks have been widened as compared to the older model. This allows the 6 heat pipes to have more space between them for better efficiency. The bottoms of the heat stacks have been cut away for better RAM clearance.

Inside the box, you also get low noise adapters that decrease the speed of the fan from 1500 RPM to 1200 RPM. You also get a splitter so both fans can be plugged into a single fan header. You also get some thermal paste from Noctua. You also get the mounting hardware that you will need.

Pros

Great RAM clearance

6 heat pipes

2 fans included

3rd fan can be installed as well

Fans are PWM

Excellent thermal paste included

6-year warranty

Cons

The cooler is pretty beefy

2. be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 – Premium Intel i5 8600k Cooler

The Dark Rock Pro 4 has a 250W TDP and is a massive air cooler. It comes in black so it will blend in with the rest of your build nicely. The cooler has 7 large copper heat pipes and 2 fans. The 135mm fan is supposed to sit between the towers while the smaller 120mm fan is supposed to sit on the side for better RAM clearance.

The installation process is relatively easy and a screwdriver is included with the purchase of the cooler. This is a magnetic screwdriver and is very long so that you can easily install the cooler in place. There are holes on top of the cooler through which you can pass the screwdriver and screw in the screws. The screws themselves are not small enough to pass through these holes so you will need to hold them at the mount while you pass the screwdriver through the hole in the top of the cooler.

The cooler looks great and the cooling performance is impressive as well. All things considered, this is a very nice cooler for the 8600K that will keep the thermals in check and allow for overclocking as well.

3. Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo – Budget Cooler for i5 8600k

This is a 120mm CPU cooler that is very popular amongst PC builders due to its cooling performance and relatively low price. This budget cooler is much better than the stock Intel cooler that you can buy separately. If you are interested in overclocking then this cooler can easily get the Intel 8600K to 4.6 GHz.

You might run into cooling issues if you push the CPU any further than that depending on the silicon and voltage tweaks but you will be perfectly fine up to 4.6 GHz. which is a decent overclock keeping in mind that this is a very reasonably priced CPU cooler.

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is a slim cooler that is ideal for the 8600K is you are not interested in pushing the CPU to its limit. The cooler comes with a single fan out of the box and another one can be added if needed.

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo features a relatively slim design for better RAM clearance. It comes with 4 heat pipes and a single 120mm fan.

Pros

Impressive cooling performance

RAM installation is no problem

2nd fan can be installed with included attachment

Thermal paste included

Inexpensive

Cons

Thermal paste is not pre-applied

Not Ideal for pushing the CPU to the limit

4. Noctua NH-L9i

Noctua is known for making some of the best cooling solutions for PCs. So, there is no surprise that we have yet another Noctua CPU cooler. This one has a low profile design which is ideal for small form factor builds. This will allow you to build a smaller PC without having to compromise on performance.

The cooler comes with a single 92mm fan which is enough to keep the 8600K cool even is you have overclocked it a bit. You should have no issues with RAM clearance with this CPU cooler. The cooler also comes with a noise adapter that controls the speed of the fan and reduces the noise. This cooler is great is silent operation is what you are looking for.

Noctua has simple mounting solutions and installing this cooler is pretty straight forward. All things considered, this is a great CPU cooler for smaller PC builds.

Pros

Low profile design

Great for small form factor builds

Controller included

Easy installation

Cons

The fan would look better in Black

5. Scythe Mugen 5

The Scythe Mugen 5 comes with 6 heat pipes and a single fan but you can install another one if you want. The included fan features hydraulic bearing and is rated to run for 120,000 hours. The cooler is designed so that RAM clearance is not an issue. The cooler is beefy but it can keep the Intel i5 8600K cool even when overclocked. You can get some decent overclocks using this cooler.

The cooler is relatively inexpensive and the black fan will blend in with the rest of your build nicely. If you need something decent to cool your CPU and you are on a budget then this is a great option to consider. It can handle much more than the 8600K so if you upgrade your CPU down the line then you could use the same cooler.

Pros

Second fan can be installed for push-pull configuration

Inexpensive

Great value for money

Impressive cooling performance

Great for CPU overclocking

Cons

Cooler is beefy

Which Cooler Should You Get For The Intel i5 8600K

All the coolers that we have mentioned here are great in their own way. If you are looking for the best cooler on the market then you should go with the Noctua NH-D15. If you are building a small form factor PC then you should go with the Noctua NH-L9i. If you do not want to spend a lot of money then the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo and the Scythe Mugen 5 are both great options to consider.

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